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Judge Sets Court Date in ‘Spider-Man’ Trial

A federal judge has set a May 28 trial date for the director Julie
Taymor, Bono and the Edge of U2, and the producers of the Broadway
musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” to battle in court over a
lawsuit stemming from the spectacular implosion of their years-long
collaboration on the show.
Judge Katherine B. Forrest of Federal District Court in Manhattan
ordered on Friday that the parties may conduct discovery through May 1
and that “trial is and will be on May 28, 2013,” adding that no further
meetings with the judge were necessary. The order came four days after
the judge, during a closed-door session with the various sides, expressed frustration
that they had not been able to settle disputes over copyright control
and profits from the show in spite of coming to terms in principle in
August.
One person familiar with the settlement negotiations said on Tuesday
that the sides were at an impasse, and that the holdup had less to do
with compensating Ms. Taymor than with creative rights and control of
“Spider-Man,” whose producers are now considering future overseas tours
and other runs. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid
antagonizing the parties involved in the lawsuit, said that the sides
were still talking and that a settlement was still possible.

A lawyer for Ms. Taymor declined to comment on Tuesday; lawyers for the producers did not return phone messages seeking comment.
The lawsuit is primarily between Ms. Taymor, the musical’s former
director and one of its script writers, and the producers and
“Spider-Man” composers, Bono and the Edge; the producers, with the
composers’ blessing, fired Ms. Taymor in March 2011. She sued that
November on copyright grounds, saying the producers were making money
off her ideas and script and owed her more than $1 million. The
producers countersued, saying that they had ousted her for breach of
contract.
“Spider-Man,” by far the most expensive musical in the history of
Broadway with a $75 million budget, opened in June 2011 to largely
negative reviews but has gone on to be a fan favorite, grossing more
than $1 million a week. Its weekly running costs are quite high on
Broadway, however, at roughly $1 million, and ticket sales have dipped
slightly in recent months.